Eagles overreactions from Week 2 loss to Falcons: Saquon Barkley drop to blame? Fourth-down call bad decision?

PHILADELPHIA — One of the most embarrassing collapses in Philadelphia Eagles history occurred in Monday night’s 22-21 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The Eagles had a victory wrapped up before Saquon Barkley’s drop on third down set the stage for the defense to give up 70 yards on six plays in a little over a minute — capped with a Kirk Cousins touchdown pass to Drake London with 34 seconds left.

Jalen Hurts threw a late interception that sealed Atlanta’s 22-21 victory over Philadelphia, making the Eagles’ collapse complete. Instead of starting 2-0, the Eagles are 1-1 and have to answer a lot of questions about a loss that should not have happened. 

In this week’s Eagles overreactions, who is at fault for the collapse? What was Nick Sirianni thinking late in the game? How much do the Eagles miss A.J. Brown? 

Overreaction or Reality: Overreaction

There are plenty of things to blame for Monday’s loss, but even Barkley himself said he needed to catch the football on third-and-3 that would have sealed the victory. If Barkley catches the pass, the Eagles get a first down and run out the clock — winning 21-15.

The collapse by the defense doesn’t happen because the Falcons don’t get the ball back. The play simply wasn’t executed, thanks to the drop by Barkley. 

If Barkley catches the pass, game over. A lack of execution cost the Eagles a win. 

The decision to throw on third down by Kellen Moore was the correct call

Overreaction or Reality: Reality

Understand the thought process of running the ball on third-and-3 with 1:46 left. The play the Eagles ran was a high-percentage play and worked if Barkley catches the ball. Again, execution is the key here. 

A play-action rollout where the defense is baiting on Jalen Hurts, freeing up Barkley to make an easy reception. The only downside to the play was an incomplete pass, stopping the clock. Of course that happened, thanks to Barkley’s…

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Author : Jeff Kerr

Publish date : 2024-09-17 15:35:18

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